Head of People & Culture | 30 - 38.5 hours | SaaS | Hybrid

Swat.io is a Software-as-a-Service product that supports marketers in Social Media Publishing and Community Management. We are proud to be an independent, self-financed, product-led SaaS company focused on building a product that users actually love.

Today, our goal is to keep sustainably growing and become a unique player in the 1% elite circle of SaaS beyond 10 million ARR. We want to create meaningful impact for our clients, team, and company, becoming an integral part of our customers’ daily workflow. Guided by our core values — we add value, we drive progress, we own it, we thrive together —we prioritize quality over quantity. We focus on exceptional talent and a collaborative, supportive culture, believing that revenue follows quality, not the other way around.

At Swat.io, we are a team of 50. We rarely hire additional roles to stay lean and agile. We need makers who love to thrive in such an environment.

As our Head of People & Culture, you will lead and shape our People & Culture team, working closely with two People & Culture Managers who you will guide and mentor. At Swat.io, we believe that People & Culture is an essential part of our company, and it will play a pivotal role in shaping the future direction of our business in the years to come. We’re looking for someone who not only has the vision to drive and evolve our culture but also the ability to bring that vision to life. With big plans ahead, we need a Head of People & Culture who has an entrepreneurial spirit, a strategic mindset, a comprehensive understanding of modern People & Culture practices and who is driven by the ambition to continuously evolve the function through initiatives that make a real impact.

As part of Swat.io’s leadership team, you’ll collaborate closely with fellow team heads and the management board, sharing responsibility for the company’s overall success and driving Swat.io’s strategy forward together.

Within the first weeks in this role, we want you to understand Swat.io as a company, the industry, as well as our product and the other teams. At the same time, you will receive a thorough handover and introduction to our People & Culture team.

After that, you develop a strategy to take our People & Culture team as well as Swat.io’s culture to a new level and prepare it for Swat.io’s future path, envision how to further develop the team's profile so it will, even more, contribute to the company’s strategic goals. You will not only implement the strategy but also continuously evaluate and enhance it, aligning it with changes that come across our way. You will be the central person ensuring that our team 50 thrives in our hybrid work environment, fostering collaboration and engagement.

Besides that, you also:

• take responsibility for the team, guiding its daily operations, taking on operational tasks yourself and fostering the team members’ development.

• drive progress by leading and managing People & Culture projects that will bring your strategy to life.

• work closely together with other team heads, integrating the People & Culture team with other teams.

• collaborate closely within the leadership team to shape and contribute actively to the company's strategic development.

We define ready as

• You bring several years of experience in People & Culture.

• You have prior experience in team leadership and understand the challenges of a leadership role.

• You are the kind of People & Culture enthusiast with strong business acumen who thinks strategically and holistically, going beyond traditional areas of People & Culture to drive impactful change across the organization.

• You are a manager of one, being self-led and not afraid to take initiative and responsibility, while also being a role model of a healthy feedback and failure culture.

• You are familiar with agile environments such as the SaaS world, and understand the usual structures and processes of bootstrapped companies like ours. You’re accustomed to flexible working models, such as remote work, recognizing both the advantages and challenges they bring.

• You have led and successfully managed high-impact projects within People & Culture in the past.

• You are a performance-oriented agile thinker who drives innovation and brings ideas on how People & Culture at Swat.io can evolve and best contribute to the company’s success. With your critical thinking skills, you have the courage to express your own opinions.

• You are a team player with hands-on qualities, ready to roll up your sleeves and step in wherever needed.

• You speak fluent English, as this is our company language. 

• You speak fluent German due to the responsibilities of the role. If your German isn’t fluent, we unfortunately can’t move forward with your application.

Don’t worry if you don't meet all qualifications. If this opportunity catches your eye and you are passionate about the field of work, we are happy to receive your application. Team fit is as important to us as having the right skills - if we both think we are a good match, we will find a solution and grow together.

• Within the People & Culture team, everyone has their responsibilities with a specific focus such as talent management, HR administration, recruitment, events and so on.

• The team uses Personio as our overall HR tool and timr for work time tracking and administration.

• Guided by the People & Culture team, our payroll is managed by an external firm which also consults us on labor law topics. We work together with Remote.com for international employment.

• We handle our own recruiting because we believe it’s the most authentic way to connect with potential candidates.

• Our company events, which are an integral part of our culture, are organized by the People & Culture team.

• Strong communication with other team heads and close collaboration with other teams (Development, Product, Marketing, Sales, People and Operations), regardless of remote or office settings, are essential.

• The entire Swat.io team uses state of the art tools like Google Suite & Linear, Notion and communicates extensively via Slack, Around & Co., reflecting our remote-first culture.

• Hybrid work mode: You can comfortably work remotely and/or from our Vienna office. Whatever works best for you. Your presence in the office will be required on a case-by-case basis for certain meetings or occasions.

• We believe in trust and genuine flexibility with the most generous flexible working hours. We are committed to giving you the freedom to manage your schedule in a way that best suits your needs.

• An exciting area of responsibility with high autonomy and room for personal growth.

• A culture that blends performance with humanity. At Swat.io we are makers who excel at what we do, while caring for each other’s well-being and creating a supportive environment.

• Generous annual educational budget and educational time for your professional growth

• Top-notch MacBook Air

• First-class equipment for your home or office workspace with perfect access to public transport (U4, U6) & the Vienna bike network (Vienna, Austria)

• Your salary depends on your experience and what else you bring to the table. The minimum salary for this role begins at €77,000 (pre-tax) for a full-time position (38.5 hours). For leadership positions, an additional performance-based bonus is agreed on yearly and has already been fixed for 2025.

• Team activities, internal knowledge sharing, and company events where all Swaties from around the world come together and celebrate.

• We support an annual pass for public transportation (e.g. Wiener Linien) or a part of the climate ticket.

More on our benefits 

• Annoying micro-management

• Office politics

• Lengthy coordination and approval processes

• Monotonous tasks and boring work

• Egos and bullshit 

Our job posting got your attention – great! We are looking forward to getting to know you better. Show us who you are – we are interested in your personality and how you fit into our team. Don’t forget to leave a cover letter to let us know why we should definitely get to know each other.

The preferred starting date is as soon as possible, but we are ready to wait for our perfect candidate 😉

Your contact person is Verena, our COO/CFO and direct manager for this role.

First get to know interview with Verena > Assessment with the Management Board (Verena, Jolli, Manuel) >  meeting the team & the other team heads > Offer & Open questions > Happy Start with us 

If you have questions about us and our culture, our Team, or our recruiting process, check out our company page: https://swat.io/en/company/ and the FAQ section.